Baking with Egg Substitutes

I usually bake with real eggs. Chicken eggs, most of the time. They impart moisture, richness, and structure to cakes, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, soufflés, and quiches.

If you're looking for alternatives or can't have real eggs, there are egg substitutes (aka subs) that work well, depending on the recipe. In my experience the results depend on the recipe, the other ingredients, and how many eggs are needed. My experience is based on baking with grain-free flours, however the same measurements and guidelines apply when baking with all-purpose flour.

Flaxseed Egg

Flaxseed gel is the egg sub I use the most. It's made with ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal) and water to form a gel. The gel serves as the egg substitute. In general, one tablespoon of flaxseed meal added to three tablespoons of water equals one egg. It's works best with quick breads, denser cakes, and brownies. Make sure to use the flaxseed egg along with baking soda or baking powder to help it rise.

When making flaxseed eggs I recommend using whole flaxseed and grinding it in a coffee or spice grinder to ensure it's fresh. Flaxseed can spoil easily due to its fat content which is why flaxseed oil is kept in the refrigerator. I store both flaxseeds and flaxseed meal in the refrigerator. Also, I use the golden colored seeds because they're lighter in color, but the dark seeds also work.

My Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Decadent Fudge Brownies, Fudge Brownies using flaxseed, and my Chocolate Chip Cookies from my coconut flour cookbook work well with flaxseed egg.

Chia Seed Egg

Chia seed egg is similar to flaxseed egg, however the measurements are slightly different. Use one tablespoon of chia seeds with two and half tablespoons of water for the equivalent of one egg.

Like flaxseed gel, chia seed gel works well for cookies, denser cakes, and quick breads. Use it along with baking soda or baking powder to help it rise. I've had success using chia seed eggs with my Decadent Fudge Brownies recipe, however be aware that some chia seed ends up in the baked brownie.

Psyllium Husk Powder

The only time I've used psyllium husk powder is when making this life changing bread. It does hold things together quite well so my guess is it will work well with dense cakes, quick breads, and brownies.

Mashed Banana or Applesauce

For bananas, peel and mash a very ripe banana until it's smooth and then use it in place of a single egg when you're baking something with more than one chicken egg. It works well in drop cookies, quick breads, and muffins. Use about ¼ cup of mashed bananas in place of one egg.

To use apple in place of an egg, purée cooked apples, make applesauce, or use prepared applesauce that is made up of only apples. Use ¼ cup of applesauce to replace one egg.

Both mashed bananas and applesauce will also make things sweeter so you may want to adjust the amount of sweetener you use. Also since eggs are a bit richer you can add about ½ a teaspoon of oil to the recipe along with the mashed banana or applesauce.

My recipes that go well with mashed bananas or applesauce include my banana bread recipes, carrot cake, apple cider donuts and other donut recipes, zucchini bread and denser muffins like my chocolate zucchini muffins.